France's Leon Marchand Sets Olympic World Record At 2024 Paris Games

French swimmer Léon Marchand set a new Olympic record, winning gold in the 400-meter individual medley at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Sunday (July 28).

Marchand, 22, was clocked at 4:02.95, breaking the record previously set by American Michael Phelps , the most decorated swimmer in history, at the 2008 Beijing Games, to win his first Olympic gold medal of his career. The French swimmer had previously broken Phelps' Olympic record, which stood as the official world record for nearly 15 years, at the 2023 World Championships.

The Paris crowd cheered every time Marchand's head popped out of the water during the 400-meter individual medley, which included the backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle.

"It was almost like a football stadium but in a pool. Everyone was chanting my name, it was crazy," Marchand said after his 400-medley heat earlier in the day.

Marchand won decisively, pulling away from the field during the second 100-meter split, the backstroke, with Japan's Tomoyuki Matsushita finishing at 4:08.62 for silver and USA's Carson Foster timing at 4:08.66 for bronze. The 22-year-old's win in his Olympic debut ended host nation France's 12-year golf medal swimming drought, having last won at the 2012 London Games.

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